Bird Watcher
by Mushinronji
Summary: Minato had been grown to experience a rather simple life as a school student with his one friend and dysfunctional family, not really expecting to receive anything else to come of his life. It was the result of a strange date with a girl from his class that changed both his life, and the lives of those around him, dramatically.


**Welcome.**

**You all probably thought me for dead, and most of you were probably right in doing so, but what matters is that I'm here now, and will be striving to finish this story after a most unplanned absence.  
**

**I will be editing the first two chapters, with the second being pushed out as soon as tomorrow morning.  
**

•••

Minato exhaled and groaned slightly in his sleep slightly before waking up. With his eyes still closed, he calmly remained on the bed and basked in the pleasant warmth that surrounded him. Greedily, he snuggled himself into his bedding and turned to the side, intent on capturing a few more minutes of sleep, if any.

The sound of rustling had disturbed him like a massive tear had just formed on the smooth and unblemished surface of his Monday morning, and the teenager found himself stilling his breath so he could focus on the sound.

"…" Minato slowly picked himself up and watched with widening eyes as a large bulge from underneath the covers was making its way towards him at a methodical pace. It was obvious he didn't know what was going on exactly, but the feeling of complete and total perverseness had forced a pained shudder from him.

With a steady hand and calm heart, he tossed the bed linen to the floor, unleashing a mass of warmth that shot out from its protection like a bullet, perching itself on top of his waist. Before he had a chance to defend himself, it immediately struck toward his face, and with incredible accuracy.

"Chu."

Minato opened and closed his mouth as the feeling of softness had moved away from him, leaving him to stare into the eyes of his younger sister, Yukari. After a second spent processing what had just transpired, he had released a powerful scream.

Yukari jerked back in response, looking more than just a little miffed. "Hey, what's with that ridiculously frightened reaction?! I-is it my hair…?" The girl huffed and hastily begun to clean herself up, though it was far from the issue in Minato's eyes.

The dark-haired teenager scrambled backward until his back pressed against the headboard of his bed, unknowing of how the act had barely distanced himself from his sister. "Yukari! What the heck are you doing here?!"

His sister pouted at his continuously degrading reaction to her kiss and sat up with both hands placed between her knees, gifting her brother with the sight of her cleavage that had been offered by her disheveled pajama-shirt. "What's it look like? Kā-chan wanted me to wake you up in time for school, Onii-chan~"

Minato knew she looked cute but he couldn't help but feel unnerved to some degree. There was some truth to be found in her words which in turn forced him to glance at his alarm clock.

"It's not even on," For that he sent a accusatory stare at the girl, "And it's only seven o' clock; why did you wake me up so early?"

Yukari blushed, and her brother immediately went on edge, "Well, I-I wanted to spend some time with you, Onii-chan."

It was then he noticed how his body felt extremely dirty in more ways than one. "I wasn't even awake!"

"Ahn~" Yukari held both of her hands to her cheeks. "But your body was so responsive, Onii-chan! It was so sudden, but I couldn't resist~" The way in which she begun to squirm had caused Minato's face to flush shamefully, and it didn't help in the least that she was clad in only her underwear and a scarcely buttoned pajama-top.

In the end, all this really made the eldest sibling wonder was just what they were doing, and how heavy of a sleeper he had to have been for them to have done it. Minato scratched his head and sighed in defeat, "Well, for what it's worth, you did manage to wake me up. Thanks, Yukari-chan."

Yukari felt her breath hitch and sidled up closer to her brother, "You know, if you really want to show your appreciation, you could –"

"No." Minato replied almost instantly. This wasn't the first time his sister had done something so borderline, but he couldn't allow for their strange interactions to enter the land of incestuous acts; his mother would kill him dead.

"No?"

Minato nodded, "No. I don't have the patience for this at the moment. I'm guessing Kā-san is already awake, and if so, then I need to –"

Yukari gasped. "You don't have the patience for this? Y-you're going to push me down so soon? Well," She relented and began unbuttoning her shirt, revealing her more of her skin with a light blush covering her cheeks, "Only if it's with you, Onii-chan…"

"No." Minato deadpanned as he chopped his sister lightly on the head in chiding. "You know I won't do something like that."

"Ow…" Yukari rubbed the top of her head. "But you don't have to be so conservative even if it's our first time! I love you, Onii-chan!" And with that she leapt at him with all the affection she could muster, intent on forcing him to take her now if need be.

Her greatest if not her most desperate effort had been defeated as Minato had tossed a pillow into her face, causing her to drop back down onto the soft mattress lifelessly. "Don't be ridiculous; you're my sister. And I love you too – as my sister."

Yukari sat up to see her brother gathering his bath supplies and brightened as she zealously remembered his daily schedule; something done out of love, of course. "Ah! Would you like for me to wash your back for you?"

"No thanks." Minato answered quickly and silently as the room door closed behind him with a soft click.

The final blow that struck through her chest, and Yukari whined slightly as she collapsed against the bed, hugging herself to her brother's pillow and indulging in its scent before her eyes narrowed calculatingly. "What the hell just happened? I offered myself to him and he didn't do anything? I thought Onii-chan wanted to take the lead. Does he actually prefer carnivorous women…?"

"I see. So I'll just have to be more forward with him; it's not like he's refusing me outright…" Her eyes dulled as a small but sinister smile had pulled at her lips, revealing a dark expression capable of giving someone like even her mother pause, "I won't give up. I'll make you mine soon enough, Onii-chan…"

The girl gasped and sat up quickly, "What am I doing? I'm ignoring a perfect chance to walk in on him in the bathroom!" And with that she sprung off the mattress and left out into the hallway.

•••

Minato sighed as he labored in the kitchen both cleaning and preparing breakfast. The stunt that his sister had pulled not too long ago had sat with him strangely, and he couldn't help but question how Yukari conducted herself in the midst of it all. It was like her personality had turned around quickly, and he found himself without words initially.

Ignoring that moment that he would carefully repress in order to preserve his mental health, he walked over to his mother – who had been sitting at the dining table reading a newspaper, and filled her cup to the brim with freshly prepared coffee.

Takami's hand disappeared behind her wall of text and paper, sipping lightly at her coffee before placing it down, "Thank you, Minato."

"It's no problem, Kā-san. Breakfast is almost ready."

The woman hummed in response and sipped at her beverage again, making her son wonder how could she drink something scalding and unsweetened like it was nothing. "Where's Yukari-chan?"

"She's…" Minato paled as he placed the coffeepot back into the machine, "She's still taking a bath. I think she'll be down shortly." There went his efforts in repressing memories. "So um, anything interesting going on?"

Takami flipped the page. "No. Nothing."

"Really?" Her son scratched his cheek, "I could've sworn there was something about MBI – something about them making tremendous waves in the –"

"Minato, perhaps you should focus on breakfast."

The teenager could take a hint, and he nodded as he went back to doing what he did best when neither of the women in his life bothered with the household chores. He could only wonder as to why she would act so strange when that company in particular was being brought up.

It didn't take long for his sister to bound down the stairs clad in a pleated tan skirt and a white, short-sleeved dress shirt with an expertly fashioned ribbon that was a deep wine color. Up from her feet extended black socks that reached underneath her knees.

Yukari – who seemed unusually perky and rejuvenated given her bathroom campaign, grinned as she noted her brother's wandering gaze, "So what do you think of our winter uniforms, Onii-chan?"

Minato stiffened and glanced at his mother, who he thought had just casted him a painful stare. At the topic of his sister's dress, he frowned. She was clearly attractive, and under no circumstance could he ever find himself saying that she was anything but, "…You look nice, Yukari-chan. It suits you."

Intentionally placing a lock of black hair behind her ear and swayed underneath his praise. "Thank you~" The girl brightened and inwardly pumped her fist victoriously; she had never seen him so taken aback before.

Takami took up a spoon and flicked it at her son's head casually, "You can stare at your sister all day if you'd like, but do it after I've been served breakfast."

Minato caught the spoon and flushed in embarrassment for having indulged too much in the image of Yukari's slim legs. He about-faced and finished his meal before setting the table with a flourish of expertise that had come naturally over the years spent cooking for his mother and sister.

"So, what's for breakfast?" Takami asked as she sipped at the coffee that had just been refilled.

The teenager would have asked her to place down the newspaper so she could see for herself, but quickly did away with train of thought. Just who did he think he was? "I felt like starting the day with pork for the winter semester." It simply stupefied his sister as to how he could eat slowly for his mother, but he simply deemed it polite to do so.

Maybe his mother would finally take it upon herself to eat with them for a change.

The Sahashi matriarch hummed with an obvious lack of interest as she drank from her cup again; it seemed coffee was the only thing that gave her sustenance nowadays. "The seniors took their placement exams over the weekend."

Minato noted how the statement was directed toward him and dabbed at his mouth before nodding. "Un. Not much changed aside from a new student taking place in the top ten, though it's pretty surprising still."

"Where did you place?"

"First." Minato sipped at his soup.

Takami made a sound of abstract surprise. "Congratulations." The word had been uttered so smoothly that it came off as insincere, and in spite of it possibly being misconstrued as such, Minato inclined his head in thanks.

"S-so, is there anything interesting going on with –"

"It's getting late." Takami interjected, "You two should hurry up and head out unless you'll be late for class."

Minato blinked but glanced at his watch, nearly spitting out his water reflexive as he took note of the time, "Oh, you're right. We should get ready, Yukari-chan." Just after he washed the dished and cleaned the kitchen, he completed his attire with a wine-colored blazer and brown loafers.

Though, for some reason, it had taken Yukari several minutes longer than he to fully prepare herself when she was only an article of clothing away from walking out the door. Minato didn't say anything of it, but simply attributed it to the mysteries of the female form.

"Okay, I'm ready!" Yukari shouted and bounded down the stairs, almost bowling her brother over if not for her steadying hold on her shoulders. Glancing behind her, she offered a small wave to her mother, "Later, Kā-chan!"

Takami flipped the page, "Have a nice day at school, Yukari-chan."

Minato allowed for himself to be dragged out of the house, but not before collecting the keys that were on the table nearest the front door, offering a short glance to his mother, who seemed to be doing a good job of ignoring him, "Bye."

"Un," Takami responded and paused as she remembered something important, which in turn forced her to place down her morning reading material, "Minato?"

"Eh?" Minato blinked absentmindedly. This was honestly a surprise; his mother was practically invisible come morning-time. He didn't know what was going on, but it had to have been important for her to regard him in this manner. "What is it?"

"I'll be working late today, so look after the house and Yukari-chan while I'm gone, alright?"

"Um, sure." Minato still didn't understand what she meant; this seemed like a common occurrence between the both of them. "Later then."

Takami sighed as the door had been closed and locked from the outside. This was going to be an eventful winter semester.

•••

Minato had felt glimpses of winter's true iciness plenty of times in the month of January, but today seemed to have been the coldest he had ever experienced. It was as if the wind was biting through his jacket with the intent to kill.

"Ah…" Yukari sighed and hugged herself. "It's so cold."

"It's pretty terrible, but thankfully we're only just a short distance away from the school." Minato assuaged her concerns with a smile, "Good thing we're in the city, huh, Yukari-chan?"

His sister shrugged, "Don't know. I think I enjoyed it more at the boonies, to be honest."

"What? No way; everything is so convenient here. You're a short walk away from the shopping mall, and you have so many friends to hang out with. Even better that you don't have to deal with that perverted jiji all the time." In terms of perversion, he could honestly say that his grandfather was just the worst.

Yukari stopped at a crosswalk, making sure she took advantage of her brother's lack of attention as to move closer to him, "I wouldn't really call any of my friends, 'friends'. At the most they're just acquaintances."

"Mm, I guess. You don't really bother to hang out with any of them. Why is that?" It really didn't make any sense for someone as popular as his younger sister to be apart of the go-home club.

Her answer had been interrupted by a rueful wind, which had in turn produced a number of bone-wracking shivers from her. Almost immediately, Minato took off his scarf and handed it to her, surprising the girl, "Here, you're looking pretty cold over there."

Minato smiled when his sister stared at him disbelievingly, and gestured for her to take the offered cloth, "Go ahead; I don't really need it." As much as he hated the cold, seeing his sister looking so uncomfortable made him feel even worse.

With no reason to deny him, Yukari took up the scarf and wrapped it about her neck, enjoying the warmth and scent offered by her brother. "If you were wondering why I didn't bother to hang out with anyone at school, well it's because…" She trailed off and linked arms with her brother, "I enjoy being with you more, Onii-chan."

"Yukari-chan…" Minato's brows furrowed and he fought down a shameful heat that strove to burn his face, "Y-you really shouldn't be saying such embarrassing things." It was definitely the cold that made him stutter, and nothing else.

_Nice reaction! I'm setting up tons of flags as we speak!_

Outwardly, the girl glanced up at him and laughed sheepishly, "Ah, sorry about that~" Their walk had grown quiet in the lull of their conversation, though she would occasionally speak as to carry on with her long-winded seduction, "You're really nice to be around that it's hard to imagine that you don't have any friends."

"I just end up focusing on my studies the most, I guess." Minato didn't really put too much thought into it. If it was really meant for him to have friends, he would definitely have them. And the thought of reaching out toward anyone didn't appeal to him.

"Mm," Yukari couldn't disagree with that, "Calling you an overachiever would be an understatement."

Minato had no choice but to laugh; it was a fair characterization. "Well, I would also like to believe that I'm so far out of the social loop that any attempt to strike up a conversation would just end up embarrassing me."

"You were being too convincing with that hopeless explanation…" Yukari deadpanned from his side, "Come to think of it, the only friend you have is…" The girl frowned as she felt a perverted aura engulfing the city block.

Minato followed her gaze and spared a wave to whom he would consider a friend if not a stressful one, "It's nice to see you up this early, Yasaka-san."

"Heh," The auburn-haired teen held a sly expression on his face, "I actually woke up early for once so I could walk to school together with my good buddy Minato, and here I find him doing questionable things with his sister. How shameful…" He expertly dodged a pointed rock that was aimed for his eye.

"You're looking as lovely as always, Yukari-chan." The thought was embellished with a perverted stare.

Yukari sneered at him, "Don't refer to me so familiarly, idiot." She turned away from him, ignoring the hurt stare she received in turn.

"Despite being my super-cute kouhai, you're so mean at times, Yukari-chan. I mean we're practically brother and sister, aren't we?"

"Don't say disgusting things, either." Yasaka could tell that she was pointedly looking for something to barrage him with, and he was thankful for the obvious lack of dangerous objects.

With a practiced swagger, he walked beside her, "That's a shame. I was sure I would be able to earn your attention if I somehow became your brother, but it seems you only have eyes for Minato here."

Minato had decided to choose then to interrupt, though he was enjoying the thought of having his friend getting beaten up, "Hey now, you know that's not true…" He trailed off lamely, as it was quite difficult for him to convince himself of this, much less someone else.

Yasaka knew this, and gave his friend a quizzical stare before smiling cheerfully. "If that's true then you wouldn't mind if I asked for your sister's hand in marriage?"

"…I don't think someone like you is ready to consider commitment, Yasaka-san."

His friend huffed in a faux-baritone and ran a hand through his hair, "You underestimate me, Minato. It was your sister's beauty and charm that had forced my premature maturing. I have moved on from my past ways and am more than ready to enter a relationship with her." He continued this by moving to stroke her hair, but she was far too fast for him.

So of course when she broke away from Minato as to punch him, he had managed to dodge it. "I can see it clearly…!" Yasaka grinned as he dodged the blow by a hairsbreadth but coughed and crumpled to the ground when Yukari's other fist had embedded itself deeply inside of his stomach.

Yukari shivered. Even touching him with the intent of doing violence was disgusting, "Idiot. Someone like you should just get hit by a car and die." She turned on her heel and dragged her brother in the direction toward the school.

Minato looked over his shoulder worriedly, knowing full well that he wasn't going to get out of his sister's grasp any time soon, "I'll see you later at school, Yasaka-san!"

"Huu…" Yasaka forced himself to stand but ended up in the fetal position, offering himself as a spectacle for the occasional passerby, "N-nice body blow…" He complimented before he succumbed to the pain and lost consciousness.

•••

After somehow getting his sister to part with him reluctantly, Minato prepared his desk with his needed supplies and gazed about the place curiously. The previous examinations had managed to bump someone out of the top ten, which in turn bounced a classmate of his out of the class. All of this was done by a new student nonetheless, which was miraculous in of itself.

_I have no idea who this new student is, but they'd have to be really considerable to do something considered impossible. Minato hummed and was immediately presented with the image of someone as introverted as he was, I had better pick up the pace lest I get ousted as well._

Yukari would probably tell him that he was overdoing it, but he didn't believe it whatsoever. The hierarchy was definitely interesting here; those who held rank as the elite often acted as it, leading them to either covet the position of those of a higher ranking of look down on those beneath them. It was surprisingly cutthroat for just a school, but Gakuen Shinto Teito was a school of overachievers.

"I'm ranked number one, but I have no intention of falling short now…" That would just mean that he would be looked down on, and from his position he would rather stand up at the top if that were the case. He was wholeheartedly convinced that his loving mother held enough patronizing comments and glances for several life cycles, anything else would just be excessive. Minato began scribbling down some equations he had remembered over the winter break into his notebooks before solving them, startling his classmates. It did help to possess an eidetic memory at times.

One lanky student had sat into his seat calmly and huffed in annoyance as he caught the look of the incessantly hardworking Minato, "Che, Sahashi is at it again?"

A bigger male who had appeared far dumber than his academic merit showed crossed his arms over his chest and scowled, "He's getting all worked up because a student from our class had been replaced."

"How premature," The lanky student sneered, "I heard he got every answer on the previous exam correct. I don't think that there'll be anyone who'll come close to topping that, but it just means he's going to burn himself out sooner or later, and then he really will be bumped down, or even pushed out of the class."

"That's some excessively wishful thinking considering he's number one, though Sahashi's concern is understandable."

"How so?"

"You didn't check the posting outside? It was rank three who got replaced."

"What?!" Though he thought himself a genius, scratching the top ten was an unfathomable desire in the absence of a miracle. It had seriously unnerved his existence if someone so high-up got bumped down, "How in the hell…"

All conversations had ceased the moment the teacher had entered the room with a purposeful gait after closing the door behind him. "Alright, settle down everyone; it's time we get homeroom started." He nodded to Minato.

The teenager nodded in return and stood up before walking to the front of the room. "Rise." Everyone stood up as one, presenting a loud number of scuffing tables and shoes tapping the floor. "Bow. Be seated." He himself had gone back to his seat, with a number of glances being held in his direction.

As the feeling of being watched was experienced in excess, Minato truly wondered what it would be like if he were to follow his sister's instruction. _Yukari-chan is a top-ranked student amongst second years, and yet she has the time to make so many friends. Maybe if I got my nose out of the books I'd at least have more company than Yasaka-san. It wouldn't hurt to talk to someone for the sake of talking…right?_

The homeroom teacher, Kasaki Mobuo scratched his stubble and looked about the class before starting, "I'm sure you've all heard we've acquired some new entrants throughout the placement examinations." As expected, there were a number of conversations that bled throughout the room in hushed whispers, "Easy, easy; I'm sure you're all excited so if you'll calm down I'll introduce them. So, without further ado…"

_I mean, how hard can it be?_ Minato lost himself in his own little world, entirely ignorant to the proceedings of the entire class, _I just walk up to someone, and ask them if they would like to do something with me. Too forward maybe? Yukari-chan said it was better sometimes for the man to take the lead. Hold on hold on, I'm not looking for a girlfriend, just a friend – either male or female…_

Exhaling, he stifled his thoughts before he would succumb to what would likely be a headache and turned to the sound of someone who sat next to him, offering a practiced smile that seemingly had no use until now. "Hi there." He hadn't noticed the sharp silence that engulfed the room, "I'm Sahashi M-Minato, and I was wondering if you would like to have lunch with me later so we can get to know each other better?"

The entire room was painfully quiet, and Minato swallowed audibly as the thrumming in his chest grew louder and louder as time passed. As to make it worse, a short laughter had sounded from beside him. It was most definitely feminine, and even enticing in some manner.

Of course it appeared mocking to him in his own little world; the entire offer sounded terrible and forced. Just what was he thinking? He opened his eyes and gaped as he took in the sight of this humored woman.

Though she was sitting, he could tell that she was taller than him, and possessed such delightfully pure and pale skin; it was an unblemished alabaster in pallor. Her hair was a light-gray and had been fashioned into a waist-length ponytail with a short fringe and several bangs that framed her face. She had eyes narrowed into slits and a wickedly curved smile, giving her attractiveness a vulpine charm. Her form presented in the school uniform was amazing, and he couldn't help but notice her incredible legs.

Minato caught himself and flushed shamefully as he stared into the narrowed eyes of the girl he had just made a fool of himself in front of. It made him feel even worse considering he was the highest ranking student in the class, and she was probably making generalizations of the class based off of her impressions of him.

_Nice job, Minato._ He closed his eyes and waited for her response, knowing it was probably going to embarrass him to some degree.

"Hoh, you're quite forward, aren't you? This brought a start of surprise from him, and Minato looked into the slightly opening eyes of the woman, as if their opening meant she were acknowledging him. "I haven't been here for all of five minutes and you're already asking me out. When you're determined to do something, you don't allow something like tact to get in your way, do you?"

"Uh…" Minato knew that he was stuck; there was no way to reply without coming off as a fool, and his silence was merely a confirmation of his idiotic behavior. He couldn't believe his peers could actually call him intelligent, _Sure, I'm a smart student, but an idiotic person. I'm dead, and the new student is kind enough to dig my grave…_

"Nfufu…" The woman chuckled softly but pleasurable, as if she were actually tickled. "You're good! Fine, I wouldn't mind going out on a date with you!"

Question marks were appearing above Minato's head, and he could hardly force a mere syllable, which only seemed to amuse the woman further, "Ah…"

"You can call me Karasuba; there's no need for any honorifics." She replied with a half-lidded gaze, and Minato noted that her eyes were a shade of gray darker than her hair. "I'm the second-ranked student amongst third years; please, take care of me." She whispered under her breath enough for the wording to be completely unheard by everyone, but Minato had felt the sensuality behind them, and promptly shivered.

Minato nodded shakily and turned himself forward, sitting as stiffly as a board. It didn't take much longer for the class to erupt into chaos.

•••

"Are you sure it's fine for us to just leave the school like this, Karasuba-san? The lunch period goes on for only another fifteen minutes." Minato asked worriedly as he and his exotic company made their way into the more bustling part of the city via train ride.

Though he was travelling such a far way away from school, he could appreciate the respite from the school and its increasing chaos. Apparently Karasuba was an immensely hot topic throughout the student body, and her agreeing to go out with one Sahashi Minato had rubbed a number of people the wrong way. Everything from his fellow students wanting to confess to Karasuba to them wanting to kill him, and everything in between had been heard through the grapevine, and none of it was amusing.

Karasuba laughed, more than just a little pleased with herself. "Adding –san to my name when I had distinctly remember saying it wasn't necessary, how cute." Albeit unnecessary, it was enjoyable to see how flustered he was in her presence.

She slowed herself so that she could walk next to him, something she noted that made him feel exceptionally nervous, which in turn pleased her. "There's no need to worry, Sahashi-kun. Even if we were to head back now, we would still be late for class."

Minato stiffened and inwardly cried out as if something had pierced him through his chest, staining his entire world a blood red. A shaking hand moved to his temple in order to stave off a headache, "I-I see…"

"So it would be best to just enjoy our time together while we're out, hm?" Seeing his robotic nod, her smiled widened a fraction as she continued her impressive gait, which brought a lengthy stare from Minato.

_Karasuba-san is very composed; it doesn't really take much to know that she has a background in martial arts like I do, but I'm getting the impression that's she's better than I am – leagues better._ It didn't sit right with him given his many years of training and how they both seemed to be the same age, but it was pointless for him to be jealous of something as frivolous as fighting ability. "W-where are we going, exactly?"

"Nothing comes to mind, but as long as we get far enough away from a certain someone, I'm not exactly against wandering." She emphasized her pointed with a crass, yet dignified shrug.

Minato could not help but wonder who this person was, and the dubious expression that appeared afterward was very prominent, "You seem so relaxed about skipping class…" And just who was this person?

_I wonder if she's talking about her boyfriend. _That explanation in particular appeared to be more than acceptable for the male, and he nodded to himself._ Maybe they hadn't seen eye-to-eye on certain things and she's getting back at him by going out with someone from school. But I'll soon be dragged into a life of crime and bloodshed. Karasuba-san will probably see my lack of killer instinct as weakness and forgive her crime boss of a boyfriend, who will go to great lengths to get back at me. Maybe he'll ask for my pinkies as punishment…_

The fear of his pinkies had become prominent, and the teenager quickly chastised himself for letting himself get carried away. It was definitely strange as to why this would bother with him, and even the most logical reasoning appeared farfetched. Regardless of whatever he felt, it seemed as though his heart would continue to hammer in his chest whenever he was near Karasuba. And seeing as though she would make a pointed effort to walk next to him whenever he would try and walk behind her, he knew this was becoming annoying.

"Whew…" Minato exhaled as he accepted his fate, totally unnoticing of where she was taking him. Being so unaware of his surroundings was grounds for admonishment courtesy of his mother, but he was conflicted with thoughts such as 'love at first sight' and other sappy subjects.

Why exactly was he so attracted to Karasuba? There were a number of beautiful women in his school, but there was something about her that seemed to bring out the worst in him.

The woman in question stopped her advancement, bringing Minato out of his daze as they had both stood in front of an establishment. "This is…" Minato trailed off as he realized he was in a seedy area that was normally acknowledged as the oceanfront of Shinto Teito. Inside of what could only be a bar judging from the powerful scent of alcohol and ammonia, he could hear a number of fists beating against flesh and glasses breaking. It didn't sound like the ideal place to get to know one another.

_Is Karasuba-san into these kind of things?_ The thought was perished; Minato knew for sure that Karasuba was a highly refined woman who exuberated grace by simply standing. There was no way she would enjoy a place such as this, but it did unfortunately paint a messy picture in his head about her probable gang life.

Karasuba could sense the violence emanating from within and shuddered in obvious delight of what was to come, though while she knew she would enjoy it, Minato's reaction might be poor. _He knows how to fight, but I suppose it would be too much to ask for him to go ahead and look for one._ It was a bit of a task knowing just who he was to her, but not an insurmountable one.

Minato captured the woman's attention by standing in front of her, "Karasuba-san, are we really going to go inside?"

"Yes." Was her simple reply.

"Is this some kind of a joke, like a candid camera or something?"

"No." She answered again with unrivaled simplicity.

It didn't help that she seemed so content with her answers, and furthermore his responses. "B-but we're underage!"

"You shouldn't let something as meaningless as age get in the way of our merrymaking." Karasuba quickly sidled up to him and linked arms with him, bringing a shudder from his as her breast had pressed against him. "Come on, let's have fun, Sahashi-kun."

Minato had been reluctant at first, but ultimately gave into her wiles. He didn't even believe it was truthfully her wiles; him touching her breast had promptly destroying his rational mind for the moment, allowing for her to capitalize.

In any case, it was instantly something he regretted agreeing to, as the vicious scent from outside was several times worse inside. It felt as though they were walking through a miasma of water down liquor and urine. They hadn't even taken two steps before they had both paused at the door, watching as two men had broke out into a fight in front of them.

Karasuba smiled at the sight and dragged her classmate to the bar, where they stood before a violent-looking bartender who was appraising them with a raised eyebrow, "Shouldn't you two honor students be in some school learning?" He muttered as he glanced at the golden badges presented on their blazers.

"Maybe," Karasuba replied coolly, "But we've heard it was much more interesting here instead."

"Is that right?" The bartender muttered, "Well, I hate to break it to you, but I don't serve kids, so you can take your little thrill-seeking adventure and get out –" A large stack of money smacked the counter in front of him with a considerable thud, effectively reducing his mind into mush.

It had forced Minato to perform a double take out of sheer shock, but Karasuba didn't seem to care that she was tossing aside such a large sum of money, "So then, mind telling me how old we are, bartender-san?"

The bartender bit his tongue, clasping a large hand over the money before bringing out two large mugs and filling them with what appeared to be legitimate beer. "You're old enough, now drink up and enjoy yourselves."

Minato was honestly hoping that this man would refuse Karasuba so that they would leave, but such a hope was destined to die in the wake of a large grouping of ten-thousand yen notes. He picked up his drink with a nervous expression and turned to Karasuba, who was staring at him expectantly. After a bout of squashing his scruples he tapped his mug against the smiling monster's and proceeded to take the liquor to his lips.

Karasuba exhaled and placed the mug down, surprising her classmate as the large vessel had been finished off quick and painlessly. Just how good of a drinker was she? "Would you like to dance with me?" She asked with a polite smile after signaling for a shot of something powerful.

Minato looked around and strained his ears, his face showing obvious confusion. "There's no music, Karasuba-san." He supposed the sounds of yelling and fighting were rhythmic enough, but it was far from something one could grove to.

She hummed in amusement, "That's hardly the issue, Sahashi-kun." After being forced to down the entire mug of beer he was dragged out into the middle of the floor, where he was underneath the gaze of everyone. He couldn't begin to fathom how they were looking at him with murderous rage and at Karasuba with looks of unrestrained lust.

Minato turned to the woman and found that she had begun dancing, and rather well despite having no music to do it do. He was content to just watching her do it, too, as it seemed as though the violent atmosphere was more than enough for her. The woman looked at him expectantly and Minato forced himself to dance to her rhythm, and amazingly enough, he found himself consumed by it.

They had danced for an unspecified amount of time and as much as Minato wanted it to continue so he could observe Karasuba's grace, he had been led back to the bar. He didn't mind being led around like a stray animal from time to time; he was really out of his element in this place, and he held an unearthly attraction for Karasuba.

Throughout their binge of drinking and dancing, they had managed to ingest numerous alcoholic beverages, to the point where Minato was teetering on the edge of his rationality. With that he chose to stop drinking, but he found his 'date' still continued to do so, "Don't you think you've had enough?"

"Maybe," Karasuba felt herself beginning to enjoy the effects from her drinking, and her heart was beating rather fast, both from the dancing and from being in close proximity to Minato, "But there's something wrong."

Minato's eyes lit up in concern, "Is there?"

"Mm," She nodded, "It's fun being with you like this." Minato took the time to look embarrassed despite his slight inebriation, "But it feels as though something is missing, and I don't want this day to end if not properly."

Karasuba grabbed Minato and leaned close to him, forcing his breath to hitch as her words had fallen upon his attentive ears with excited breaths, "…I want to have even more fun, Minato-kun."

"…" Minato's mind had been forced into a standstill, the only thing sounding in his head being the lub-dubbing of his heart. Was that a confession of some sort? Did she want to seal the deal with him or something of that sort? He stared into her eyes and saw a number of things reflected in her gaze, the first being excitement, and the second being…bloodlust?

Before he could bring himself to form an articulate response, the woman surprised him by grabbing a man's head and smashing it down roughly on the counter, knocking him out instantly.

"!" Minato gaped as Karasuba grabbed the man who was clearly large than them both, and used her disproportionate strength to toss him across the bar and into three unsuspecting patrons. The room had fallen into silence, but it barely lasted a second before it had burst into an uproar, with a group of men rushing toward her position.

Seeing her just standing there casually, as if there weren't a horde of large men rushing toward her with obviously foul intentions had forced Minato's blood to boil with adrenaline, and he wrapped his arm around her waist, spinning in front of her and driving his elbow into someone's sternum before kicking another man's feet from underneath him.

Karasuba was impressed by his reaction time, but didn't want to have him limit himself by worrying incessantly by her, and by extension of this thought had simply shoved the teenager into the large group before them.

Minato could've hardly shouted in edgewise before he was punched in the face and wrapped up in what seemed to be a full-nelson. Grimacing, he slammed the back of his head against his restrainer's nose and jumped up with a spin, unleashing two whip-like kicks into the faces of his friends before dropping low, tripping up the man with the broken nose with the same leg. Just as he had managed to right himself a bottle had smashed over his head and he had been thrown over the bar and into an assortment of liquor bottles.

"Ow." Minato mumbled from his messy puddle of liquor and sprung onto his feet before vaulting over the counter, driving his feet into the face of a man who had gotten too close to Karasuba. Taking another defensive stance in front of her, he observed the opposition with a scowl, "Karasuba-san, you need to get out of here; I'll hold them all off!"

The woman merely drank candidly from a liquor bottle, smiling at him as she did so, "And miss out on the fight? I just couldn't miss this show, Sahashi-kun."

_And what a show it's starting to become._ Karasuba laughed to herself softly as she watched him doing quite well despite the large disadvantage presented before him. The woman casually flicked her wrist, effortlessly swatting a man away before smiling at Minato as he crashed into the bar next to her. "Are you all right, Sahashi-kun?"

"Great…" Minato mumbled as he straightened himself out. The men seemed to be fighting against each other with no concern toward friend or foe, but there was still a large number that were out for his blood. "I'm doing just fine."

"Good! In that case…" Karasuba intentionally dropped all of her body weight on top of Minato's shoulder, forcing him to buckle as he hadn't prepared himself for the sudden weight, "I'll let you carry me."

"W-what?! Karasuba-san!" He gritted his teeth as he felt her weight press down again him, and while pleasant in more ways than one this had to have been the most inopportune time to do this, so he simply surprised her by tossing her into the air. Free of her weight, he grabbed a man's wrist and disarmed him of a bottle before shattering it over his face. He then bombarded another thug's midsection and face with numerous light strikes before tripping him up and tossing him into another group that moved to advance in his direction.

As that sequence ended, he grunted softly as Karasuba fell back into his arms perfectly.

"My, my…" Karasuba muttered breathlessly with a devious look on her face, "I had no idea you were such a talented fighter, Mina-chan…" It seemed her apparent naming of him had become even more affectionate than before, but Minato really didn't know what to make of it.

Though it did force his heart to skip a beat in the most frightful manner possible, "Y-you don't mean to say that you started this regardless of you knowing whether or not I'm able to fight?!"

"Perhaps I did," It would hardly require any effort for her to kill everyone in this room a thousand times over with her bare hands, but watching Minato struggle between protecting himself and fighting for her sake was highly intoxicating. And she stunned him by licking his ear sensually, "Mm, but if I didn't do that, then we wouldn't be having this much fun, now would we?" She continued her licking and Minato had exhaled breathlessly for reasons entirely separate from exhaustion.

_That's because I'm a little experienced with this sort of thing, regretfully._ He didn't like fighting, but it didn't mean he didn't know how; he thought he was rather talented at it in spite of it all. And even in spite of his alcohol-induced hiccups, he was happy to know that Karasuba was unscathed throughout it all, even if she were intentionally acting as a nuisance.

It was very disturbing to note how much she was enjoying this judging from how she continued to play with him as if nothing was going on at the moment. _I didn't want to believe that Karasuba-san enjoyed these kind of things, but it's getting hard to believe otherwise._ Minato sighed as he grabbed her sides and swung her about, smashing her feet into the faces of several men before swinging her onto his back adroitly.

Karasuba laughed gleefully and wrapped herself against him with little difficulty, though whatever enjoyment she held immediately disappeared when he high-tailed it out of the establishment. "Hey now, you're not done – where are you going?" She tapped him on the sides with her heels and spoke admonishingly at him.

"What does it look like?!" He responded with rough, uncontrolled breathing, "I'm getting us far away from there!"

"Ah, what a shame…" She muttered as she begun to calm down from her high. Even if there was no direct participation in battle from her end, it was still a pleasure to be a spectator in such bouts of violence. "I'm sure there was still more fun to be had."

"I really would prefer if you didn't talk to me about what is and isn't fun." He sounded entirely annoyed with her and that excited her as well, she thought she was able to push him around whenever she pleased, but it appeared as though he had a limit.

_You're becoming more and more interesting, Mina-chan._ Her thoughts turned dark when something very unwanted had dawned upon her, _Ara, this presence? So it would appear as though Yume has been looking for him as well…_

"Mina-chan, head into that building over there." She pointed to his right and begun to explain herself, "It'd be much easier to escape our meddlesome followers from inside a place so unassuming."

"Right," Minato nodded and picked his pace up, dashing across a busy road and hopping over a car, swaying throughout a crowd of pedestrians before entering a rather luxurious lobby. He moved to allow Karasuba to stand on her own two feet, but she seemed unyielding, "Karasuba-san?"

"Carry me for a bit longer. I seemed to have sprained my ankle." She was lying of course, as there was no way she could allow herself to move so haphazardly, though there wasn't any reason to end such an embrace either.

Minato instantly felt concerned and glanced at his watch. _It's still a little too early to go home, but there's no way I can head back to school while smelling like a brewery._ He especially didn't want to greet his mother like this.

He soon became cognizant of all the stares he was receiving and felt nervous, "I don't think we should be here…"

"No, it's fine; we'll rent a room for the day," Karasuba assuaged his concerns casually, "Head to the front desk."

Minato opened his mouth and closed it before withdrawing his wallet. Through his lack of spending much of anything in his youth, he had amassed quite a small fortune, and this seemed to be as good a spending decision as any, especially when playing hooky.

Again, stares made their way toward them but he ignored them in favor of moving toward the front desk, "Um, excuse me."

The attendant looked up at dark-haired teen and raised an eyebrow in confusion before glancing at the sight of the utterly gorgeous woman hanging off of him. He sputtered like an idiot and quickly inputted some keys into the computer, "Is there something I can help you with today, sir?"

"I'm looking to rent a room for the entire day. Is that alright?"

"Y-yes." The attendant stared up at the teenager before him in both anger and admiration, but mainly the former.

"Ah, that's great." Minato begun to take out some money, but was surprised to find Karasuba's arm extending out over his shoulder, holding onto what appeared to be a metallic card that was only issued to high-profile businessmen or people with a lot of money, "…Karasuba-san?"

"Give us your most expensive room, please." She didn't bother to chat with vermin often, but felt the need to speed things along lest she got annoyed.

"T-that's not necessary; there's no need to waste any more of your money." Minato honestly didn't know what he was talking about. He didn't know how much a room here went for, but something instinctual wanted him to be the one to pay for it.

"Nfufu…" Karasuba merely chuckled in reply, "It's fine, Mina-chan. Money well spent, and I'm sure you'll have plenty of chances to make it up to me." The attendant looked as though he wanted to tear Minato limb from limb but had gone through the transaction with tears of jealousy pouring from his eyes.

He handed them a key and watched them leave the lobby with amorous spirits, "T-the bastard…"

•••

Minato sniffed and sat up before clutching his head, feeling more than just a bit disoriented. He believed he was dreaming judging from this extravagant room he was in, but had remembered that Karasuba had purchased the closest thing to a penthouse, which had a hefty price tag. _I knew Karasuba-san has money, but I didn't know she was this rich. I wonder if she's the daughter of some Zaibatsu head or something._

"So you're finally awake." Karasuba's voice called out from his left, and he could tell that she seemed rather pleased with herself for some reason.

"Yeah," Minato rubbed his head, "How long have I been out?"

Karasuba hummed, "A few hours." She delighted herself with the sight of Minato's eyes snapping open in shock, "It must've been your first time drinking so much; you passed out the second we entered the suite."

Minato flushed in embarrassment. A very familiar if not cloudy memory of him dropping like a stone had itched inside of his head, and he scratched his cheek in embarrassment, "You must've carried me all the way to the bed, sorry."

"I didn't carry you. You picked yourself up and bathed somehow before heading to bed." Karasuba laughed pleasantly, as if the entire thing tickled her. "It's cute that you even have your priorities set straight even while inebriated."

"W-well, I – guh!" Minato clutched his throat and begun gagging painfully, his shaking eyes finally wandering over Karasuba's form, "Wh-why are you naked, Karasuba-san?!"

Karasuba regard him with half-opened eyes, "What a healthy reaction to have even though I'm wearing a towel." Her expression soon turned sly, "Would you like to see what's underneath, Mina-chan?"

Though he tried his hardest not to acknowledge her for simple sake of acting like a gentlemen, he could tell that her skin was flushed with the warmth of the shower, and that she was still in the middle of drying herself, though she was taking her sweet time doing so. The heating radiating from her could be felt easily in spite of there being several feet in between them. "Uh, I-I…"

The distance between them had shortened with every movement of Karasuba's legs, and Minato could now feel her directly in front of him. "Mina-chan, look at me."

Minato exhaled and reluctantly gave Karasuba his undivided attention, noticing how different she looked when her hair wasn't brought into a ponytail and was just left long. He was torn out of his reverie when her lightly calloused hand had caressed his cheek, "Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Ah, no but…" He took the time to think the words out before he said something he might regret, "Why are you doing this exactly, Karasuba-san?"

"Why? Why would you even bother asking me this?" She arched an eyebrow as she straddled his waist, intentionally leaning on him and bringing further discomfort to Minato, but in a manner that had nothing to do with her bodyweight. "Don't all men fantasize about this very moment? For that matter, aren't you completely in love with me?"

Minato felt a large breath of air expunge itself from his lungs, and had begun breathing heavily at the knowing look he was being stared at with, "Well…" He trailed off when her finger pressed against his lips.

"Don't say anything, just move your head." Karasuba enjoyed how obedient he could become at times, especially when flustered, "Now, I'll ask again. Sahashi Minato; are you in love with me?"

There had been an obvious hesitance, but something warmed within her at the sight of him nodding. "You answered so quickly too. Good boy, good boy." She patted his head affectionately, though it seemed equally as condescending.

When she moved her finger from his mouth, he breathed out from the gravity of his response. "Does that mean you love me as well, Karasuba-san?"

Hearing her snort immediately upon reply was something unnerving to be sure. "Love is such a strong word, especially when used by someone like me. I can understand where someone like you could find a thousand and one things to love and admire about me. But to me, you're simply unremarkable."

Minato stiffened but Karasuba had rubbed his head soothingly, "Ah, it's not as bad as you think. You're intelligent, a capable fighter and moderately handsome – not a complete eyesore. Even then…"

"Even then…?" He loathed himself for trying to sound hopeful.

"I'm just not interested in you in that way."

Though in the end, him being hopeful or not didn't seem to matter. He released a small gasp and composed himself, "I see. Then, excuse me…" Feeling something tear inside of him upon hearing her words, Minato calmly pushed her off of him and stumbled toward the door, or at least he thought he would have had he not been thrown onto the bed rather forcefully.

Karasuba assumed her position once again but this time had clasped her hands about his wrists, pinning him in a vice. He attempted to struggle but was both surprised and humiliated at not even budging past her hold in the slightest. "You'll have to forgive me," Her voice came out with a noticeable edge, on that seemed both very dark but was hinted was something else, "But I don't remember ever saying that you could leave."

"K-Karasuba-san…?" Minato was clearly getting mixed signals here. "I thought you said you weren't interested in me."

'I'm not," She reaffirmed, "But I'm entirely attracted to you, Mina-chan. It's quite frustrating, but even standing next to you is enough to excite me beyond belief."

Karasuba further embellished her dominance over him by pinning both of his hands above his head while only using one of hers while her other hand touched his cheek, "And because of it, you're very important to me whether you know it or not, but not in that sense…"

"…" Minato remained silent but his eyes scanned her face, as if he was trying to understand something that could make sense of the entire situation.

"When we spend time together, I see it as nothing more as someone playing with her toy." Karasuba hummed in thought as if considering her words. "I suppose that would be the correct euphemism for everything regarding our complex relationship. You're nothing but a toy I'll use for my entertainment."

Minato scoffed and forced himself to keep the sadness out of his voice, remaining purely annoyed and indignant, "E-even so, do you actually think I'll just sit here and let that happen?"

"No. As a matter of fact, I'm glad you're resisting; it makes it more entertaining for me." Karasuba leaned her face close to his own. "I'm going to break you, so that everything you do is out of thought for me." She breathed against his ear as she rubbed herself against him, apparently the thought of forcing herself on him being extremely exciting to her, judging from her uncontrolled breathing. "Isn't it great? I'll bathe you in my scent so the others will know exactly who you belong to."

"D-don't be ridiculous…" Even if she were treating this like some sort of game, Minato was beginning to fear for his wellbeing. Karasuba possessed berserker-level strength that clearly outclassed his own, and had slowly began to kiss and caress his body at various places; it bothered him that it was somewhat pleasurable for him, and that he was only dressed in his underwear. If he couldn't get himself out of this situation, this could turn down a very dark path.

"You're getting excited, Mina-chan." Karasuba leaned her face closer to his, a look of savage triumph being shown on her face, "This is exactly what you wanted isn't it? You'll be mine forever…"

Minato's next words were cut off abruptly when the pale lady had forced her lips on his and begun to moan from on top of him. The shock from the kiss appeared to have disoriented him greatly, as he was subject to an erroneous display of dark light. Two wings of an intensely dark color sprouted from her back and had grown with each passing second they spent kissing. Minato couldn't help but hiss against her forcefulness as he felt a vicious cold rooting from within his chest that seemed to spread throughout his entire body.

Karasuba pulled away from Minato with a small smack and licked her lips as she stared at his dazed expression with poorly-veiled amusement. "Are you even trying to resist? Make this harder for me…" She kissed him again, but was surprised that when she had licked the front of his teeth that Minato had countered by capturing her tongue with his own.

It had surprised her entirely at first, but she had laughed into the kiss that was beginning to increase with passion, mumbling about how easy he was. Her moans had continued unabated and she had even begun trembling against him from the sensation of their mucous membranes touching so intimately.

Minato had already understood that Karasuba was far stronger than him, and despite not understand how it could be possible, he felt no loss in pride ceding to such a thought. Trying his best not to lose himself in the midst of his own ruse, he had continued to kiss her for what appeared to be ceaseless minutes.

Karasuba parted from him with a dazed expression on her face and nipped on his bottom lip before deciding to pour her saliva into his mouth. She soon laughed when he swallowed it immediately with little argument or complain, "Fufu, you're becoming so obedient." She praised him and insulted him at the same time, and brought his hand to her breast in what she believed to be a suitable reward for such behavior.

This was exactly what Minato was looking forward to, and her grip on his other hand had faltered completely when he squeezed her breast, forcing Karasuba to jerk at the sensation. It was surprising as well how she could offer such strange responses when it seemed as though she had done this before. Shrugging it off, he brought his other hand to her waist and began to allow his instincts to control him to some degree, further delighting the woman as his fingers trailed against her exposed skin.

The kiss had grown more intense as a result, and Minato could tell through Karasuba's strange sounds and gyrations that she was about to go through with what she sought out to do. Pushing his hips forward, he forced the both of them into a roll that soon enough brought them crashing onto the carpeted floor and into the perfect position with him directly on top of her.

Minato ignored the pulling of his hair and how he felt his skin bruising from her touches in exchange for simply staring at Karasuba and caressing her cheek. She seemed entirely defenseless at the moment, which was strange in of itself considering she had attempted to force herself onto him. But it mattered little; as much as he held some form of confused and unexplained attraction to her, some things could not easily be forgiven.

After apologizing to his character multiple times for doing what he was about to do, he grabbed Karasuba's hair roughly and jerked her head to the sight before jabbing a loose fist toward her throat. He grimaced at the brief sensation of her pharynx yielding slightly against the force but was inwardly happy it didn't collapse outright; scarring her would be unforgivable, even in light of recent circumstances.

The effect was more than desirable as Karasuba had immediately begun to cry out and clutch at her throat weakly with eyes tearing as a result from the attack. Despite her body being sent into a fit of body wracking coughs and wheezes, she had managed to gather enough strength to backhand Minato, sending him flying into an adjacent wall.

A wave of indescribable pain had shot through his back and jaw, and from the numbness that emerged afterward Minato inwardly considered that his spine might have been severed. But the pain was something he needed to fight through if he had any intention on escaping from this place.

Minato's advancement was instantly halted the moment he felt a murderous presence wash over him. Turning around reluctantly, he stared at Karasuba, who stared at him with eyes that glowed an ominous red. "I-it would seem as though I-I had underestimated you, M-Mina-chan…" He didn't whether it was the attack on her throat or this strange aura she was emitting, but her voice sounded extremely dangerous.

"…T-to think I actually thought you were enjoying yourself. I'll need to punish you extensively…" She coughed angrily and took a step forward, uncaring of the towel that fell from her body, exposing herself to her prey.

He immediately assessed the situation to the best of his ability and figured that if he were somehow Karasuba's match, he couldn't bring himself to fight her. Escape was his number one priority.

And so he kicked the ottoman toward her exactly as she leapt toward him, which thankfully had tripped up the woman with a very concerning thud. He didn't even bother to check up on her, he simply threw on his clothes and hastily dashed into the hallway and out the building, which he soon discovered was a swanky love hotel.

Minato wasn't sure if it was the exhaustion of the day itself coupled with him running around, but something sounding eerily similar to Karasuba had screamed into the night, spurring the dark-haired teen to move faster.

•••

The mad dash he had went through had lasted all of an hour, and Minato had idly praised his endurance for lasting as long as it did, considering he managed to stop directly in front of his house. His irrational fear of Karasuba had grown to such length that it felt as though her hand was clutching his throat tightly; and he tried his hardest to ignore the cold burning in his chest.

After having managed to calm down to some degree, he limped into his house and closed the door behind him, not quite managing to stifle a sigh of absolute exhaustion. Out of all the pain that tore at his body, a powerful migraine was easily the worst.

Minato walked upstairs, noticing that his mother wasn't here judging from the sole lack of cigarette smoke. He made his way into his room and disposed of his clothes. Yukari was sleeping comfortably in his bed, and her brother for once didn't seem to have minded it.

It was actually refreshing, in light of what just happened.

As soon as he made his way to the bed, her eyes opened and she smile up at him, "Onii-chan…"

"Ah, Yukari-chan…" Minato scratched the back of his head, "I didn't mean to wake you up. Sorry."

The girl rubbed her eyes softly, "It's okay. Where did you go, Onii-chan?"

"I-I, um…" How could he explain himself? He had been abducted by a strange woman and had not only been held hostage, but had been beaten and almost raped? The words died on his lips every time.

"…I thought Onii-chan had been abducted by some girl from class, and you were being held against your will."

Minato almost laughed. Almost. Yukari knew him far too well it seemed.

The girl closed her eyes and adjusted herself in better, "But it's okay. You're here now…" Yukari yawned again and closed her eyes, seemingly done with their conversation.

Minato didn't mind it, and slipped into the bed, perfectly fine with his sister snuggling up against his chest; it was the least he could do considering that she didn't grill him at all for what happened today. He looked over her and brushed an errant lock of her from her face, "Good night, Yukari-chan." He hoped she would have pleasant dream, because he knew asking the same of himself would be impossible.

There was nothing to look forward to but an especially frigid winter semester.

•••


End file.
